The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won 3-2 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night at PPL Center in the first of three back-to-back games against each other.
Corey Andonovski's late goal in the third period secured the win for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (29-19-7-1), who remain undefeated against Lehigh Valley this season (3-0-2-1).
Austin Rueschhoff scored a power-play goal just 4:28 into the game to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 1-0 lead by seizing a rebound off the pads of Cal Petersen.
Two goals from Rhett Gardener in the second period propelled the Phantoms to a 2-1 lead. The first goal came during a three-on-two rush for Lehigh Valley, and the second arrived during a two-man advantage power play.
Lukas Svejkovsky’s first goal of the season evened the score 2-2 at 2:18 of the third period.
Andonovski sealed the win with a goal with 2:08 left in regulation, concluding a heated third period and quieting the lively crowd in Allentown. Andonovski redirected a perfect pass from Ryan Shea past Petersen from the slot.
Joel Blomqvist denied four scoring opportunities from Lehigh Valley after they pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, helping the Penguins secure a one-goal win. Blomqvist made a total of 27 saves, while Petersen saved 18 of 21 shots from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Penguins will play the Phantoms once again on Saturday on home ice. The second game of this three-game series is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.
TRADE DEADLINE
Before the NHL trade deadline on Friday, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had more players leaving the team's roster, including experienced goalie Magnus Hellberg, who was traded to the Florida Panthers.
In exchange, the team acquired another goalie, Ludovic Waeber, who has played 15 AHL games this season for the Charlotte Checkers. Additionally, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signed Jaxon Castor to a trial deal to serve as Blomqvist’s backup on Friday.
Vasili Ponomaryov, a forward, has also been added to the AHL roster after being obtained from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton alumni Jake Guentzel.
